ReFo: Lions @ Patriots, Week 12

ReFo: Lions @ Patriots, Week 12

The Detroit Lions suffered their second consecutive loss yesterday, and now have a quick turnaround before their Thanksgiving game against division rival Chicago. The Lions simply looked overmatched; quarterback Matthew Stafford completed just 39% of his passes and the team failed to get the ball into the end zone.

No team in the NFL is outplaying the Patriots right now, as the team has won seven games in a row including wins over some of the league’s best. They have taken each of their past four games by at least 20 points, and have the inside track for the top seed in the AFC.

Here are some of the notable performances from the game.

Detroit Lions– Performances of Note

Ndamukong Suh, DT: +3.7

Breakdown: Suh was a monster in run defense, earning a season-best +4.0 grade in that department after registering four run stops, three of which were tackles for loss. Suh also added four hurries and a hit as a pass rusher, as Patriots guard Ryan Wendell had his worst game of the season (-3.2) trying to contain him.

Signature Play: The Patriots’ second drive of the game was a three and out, and Suh was the biggest reason for it. After stopping Shane Vereen 5 yards in the backfield on first down, Suh landed a huge hit on Tom Brady on 3rd-and-15 to help end the drive.

Cornelius Lucas, LT: -3.5

Breakdown: Starting LT Riley Reiff lasted just one snap before leaving the game with a knee injury, and Lucas struggled in backup duty. Lucas earned negative grades in pass protection, run blocking (-1.2) and committed two penalties.

Signature Stat: Lucas surrendered a sack, two hits and two hurries, a game-worst five total pressures allowed.

Calvin Johnson, WR: -0.4

Breakdown: Johnson was covered by Brandon Browner (+2.6) with safety help for most of the game, and he struggled to get open. Stafford was 3-of-7 for 46 yards when targeting Johnson vs. Browner, including a dropped pass by Johnson and two passes defensed from Browner.

Signature Stat: Overall, Stafford was 4-of-9 for 58 yards, including just 11 yards after the catch, when targeting Johnson.

New England Patriots – Performances of Note

Darrelle Revis, CB: +5.0

Breakdown: This was Revis’ highest-graded game since the 2011 season, and he has a cumulative grade of +12.7 over his past four games. Only four cornerbacks have a higher grade over the entire season. Revis spent most of the game shadowing Golden Tate, and held him to two catches for 41 yards on seven targets.

Signature Stat: Stafford was 2-of-10 for 41 yards when targeting Revis, including three passes defensed.

Tom Brady, QB: +4.0

Breakdown: Outside of the rare red zone interception in the third quarter, Brady was excellent in a game where the plan was to pass the ball against the Lions’ top-ranked rushing defense. Brady and the Patriots continued to dominate the middle of the field; Brady earned a +5.0 grade on passes thrown between 0-19 yards and between the numbers.

Signature Stat: Brady has a positive grade in every Patriots win this season, and a negative grade in both losses.

Dont’a Hightower, LB: +4.4

Breakdown: Hightower continued his breakout season, and now leads all inside linebackers with a +18.4 overall grade. Hightower is excelling in all phases of the game, and earned positive grades in both pass rushing and run defense for the third game in a row.

Signature Stat: Hightower had three run stops in addition to a hit and three hurries rushing the passer.

Revis coming back into All-Pro form. If Browner can keep it up, that secondary will be scary to throw against. Rodgers will surely test that on Sunday.

Jason Williams

Is it too much to hope that Detroit got demoralized in this game and might not show up to play my Bears? Not happening? Ok….

Dohkay

Well the method to beat the Lions has changed slightly from previous years. Before it was “shut down Megatron.” This year it’s “shut down Megatron and Tate.” Most teams can’t do that but Arizona (Peterson/Cromartie) and New England (Revis/Browner) certainly did.

Corey Fuller and Eric Ebron were incredibly bad yesterday. Ebron just doesn’t look ready to be an NFL TE right now. Misses blocks, drops passes and doesn’t turn to look for passes when he gets open. He also got beat on a jump ball with Revis just refusing to box him out and use his size advantage. Fuller cannot catch a damn thing. Why this coaching staff has him out there instead of Ryan Broyles just boggles my mind.

max

Spot on with Fuller and Ebron being bad yesterday but thats been all year. Sadly Stafford taking the heat for a handful of guys not ready to be on the field right now. Add Ross to the mix as well as Lions 3rd and 4th wr’s can’t get open at all.

Dohkay

Agreed it’s just been really obvious how bad they’ve been the past two weeks with Megatron and Tate covered. It’s funny but I thought Stafford played one of his best games yesterday and it was arguably his worst game statistically. I counted four dropped TDs (the last was in garbage time but still) plus his INT came on a pass where he was hit while throwing.

Bill Marcellino

Football Genius Sam Monson: “Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers. The elite quarterback Mount Rushmore has been in place for a few years
now, a comforting constant in an NFL of consistent turnover and change.
But it might be time to wipe one of those four faces off our mountain of
elite play. The Tom Brady of 2014 no longer belongs on that monument.”

PFF’s theoretical understanding of NFL football is fairly LOL-worthy

Dohkay

Pats fans get all kinds of butthurt at the suggestion that maybe, just maybe Brady was fading when he started 2-2 with 4 TDs, 2 INTs and 800 yards passing in 4 games against the Dolphins, Vikings, Raiders, and Chiefs. He already wrote an entire article owning up to it.

Lighten up, Francis.

Bill Marcellino

Someone is certainly butthurt…

Dohkay

So much so that I comment about an article written two months ago by a different author who has since written another article saying how wrong he was and yet I still complain about it.

That article is to Pats fans what Brady’s draft selection is to Brady, apparently. Never forget…